Summary:Llewyn Davis is at a crossroads. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter of 1961, he struggles to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles - some of them of his own making.

In top form, Joel and Ethan Coen offer up feel-bad experiences that, like fine blues medleys, make you feel good (although with an acidulous aftertaste). Inside Llewyn Davis is one of their best. So many movies are emblazoned with happy faces; this one wears its sadness, and its snarl, proudly.

Folk standards such "500 Miles," "The Death of Queen Anne" and "Dink's Song" infuse the movie, and as in the Coens' "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" T Bone Burnett has done first-rate work supervising the musical landscape. The film, I think, falls just a tick or two below the Coens' best work, which for me lies inside "A Serious Man" and "Fargo."

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS is a feat of filmmaking, taking the gentle strains of folk music and revealing it for the revolutionary act that it is.INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS is a feat of filmmaking, taking the gentle strains of folk music and revealing it for the revolutionary act that it is. Not just because it has been the soundtrack of many social movements, but of personal ones, too. Oscar Isaac as Llewyn is revelatory, a bone-tired, supremely talented man whose passion for making music is struggling mightily against the whims of the industry and his demons one being the loss of his musical partner to suicide. When Isaac sings, we're transported first to the dusky bars of 1960s West Village and, more important, to the jungle of discouragement and confusion he's living in. It's a powerful performance. Supporting him is a great ensemble, some new to the Coen Brothers family (Timberlake, thankfully subdued and nearly holding his own against the others) and some beloved veterans (Goodman). It's not just Isaac and the cast, though, that makes Inside Llewyn Davis remarkable. The music, with T-Bone Burnett in charge of the soundtrack, takes its rightful place front and center. And the Coens tell the story in a clever, elliptical way that drives home the futility and magic of a time. But it's not all sadness and tears. The Coens' singular humor runs a streak through the entire enterprise. Go see it.…Expand

irst to the dusky bars of 1960s West Village and, more important, to the jungle of discouragement and confusion he's living in. It's airst to the dusky bars of 1960s West Village and, more important, to the jungle of discouragement and confusion he's living in. It's a powerful performance. Supporting him is a great ensemble, some new to the Coen Brothers family (Timberlake, thankfully subdued and nearly holding his own against the others) and some beloved veterans (Goodman). It's not just Isaac and the cast, though, that makes Inside Llewyn Davis…Expand

Delightful and dark. Perfect shots and imperfect, albeit highly memorable, characters. That's the Coens for you. Every frame oozes confidence.Delightful and dark. Perfect shots and imperfect, albeit highly memorable, characters. That's the Coens for you. Every frame oozes confidence. And why shouldn't they be confident? I'm pretty sure they can do anything. Except fail, that is. I'm also fairly confident that if anybody else had directed this it would've turned out somewhat mediocre. The brothers' mastery of craft, command of tone, as well as their playfulness - all of it makes up for a plot as meandering as their roaming protagonist.…Expand

Breathtaking musical performances of nearly forgotten folk tunes... a week in the life of a hopeful folk singer might not be what we expectedBreathtaking musical performances of nearly forgotten folk tunes... a week in the life of a hopeful folk singer might not be what we expected but it still certainly has that Coen Brothers zest.…Expand

Generally the Coen brothers make movies I really like but for the life of me I don't get this one. Spare plot, depressing setting,Generally the Coen brothers make movies I really like but for the life of me I don't get this one. Spare plot, depressing setting, unsympathetic major character. I love folk music but this was only average. A few laughs here and there and Carey Mulligan is outstanding. A miss.…Expand

First of all let me say I am a HUGE Coen brothers AND Justin Timberlake fan, so I was really looking forward to this movie. I must be eitherFirst of all let me say I am a HUGE Coen brothers AND Justin Timberlake fan, so I was really looking forward to this movie. I must be either 1)not artsy enough, 2)not educated enough (even though I have a masters degree) 3)not a fan of folk music, or 4)all of the above. This movie took me on a meaningless journey to nowhere. I searched for metaphorical references, like the cat representing his heart, or other meaningful notations, and heck, I just wanted to be entertained at all. I honestly didn't understand this movie, and I think the critics say they liked it because it is just plain weird and that's what they seem to like. Justin Timberlake was underutilized and John Goodman was useless...as were several characters in the movie. Follow me around for a week and I promise you will be so much more entertained watching me make dinner at night, feed the dog, take a walk, sleep, work and do laundry.…Expand

Disappointing. I've come to look forward to Coen bros movies. (well, uhm, not anymore after this one... and yeah, come to think of it,Disappointing. I've come to look forward to Coen bros movies. (well, uhm, not anymore after this one... and yeah, come to think of it, Barton Fink). It is well acted and the music is ok, but the story, characters, setting, circumstances are all so dreadful that I had to resist walking out at least twice. The Bros served up a stinker with this one... all the hype, ads and cheerful critics can't persuade me that this is a gold nugget. By all means, if you enjoy being hoodwinked by the opinions of the critics, go for it. If you really want to see an entertaining and marvelous bit of tape, see the 1hour 40 minute musical number that was done in conjunction with this film.…Expand

There were more great movies released in 2013 than in any year in recent memory. Browse our official lists of the year's highest-scoring movies in a variety of categories, and check out 2013's worst films, too.

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